


Time Will Tell

by SunGirl



Series: Kill the King [2]
Category: Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)
Genre: Brothers, Gen, Near-Death Experience, back when the largo siblings still kind of had feelings, how luigi got that chest scar, mag saves the day, rotti being a horrible parent, theyll be horrible monsters some day but right now they’re just kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 10:00:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17640629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunGirl/pseuds/SunGirl
Summary: Luigi and Pavi have grown apart as they've gotten older, but a crisis reveals how much they still care about each other. (A sequel to Kill the King, although you don't need to have read that to understand this one).





	Time Will Tell

**Author's Note:**

> Another Repo! fic I wrote a couple of years ago, based on the headcanon that Mag saved Lugi's life when his lungs collapsed and that's why he listens to her when she tells him not to attack people in that one scene.

“Where the hell were you last night?!” Luigi Largo glared fiercely at his younger brother, as if his gaze could penetrate right through Pavi’s skull. 

The other boy just shrugged. 

“Out.” 

Luigi’s eyes narrowed. 

“Out where?”

“Just out!”

At only twelve years of age, Pavi already held himself something like the diva he was to become. His expression was smug and defiant as he faced his brother, their locked eyes burning with equal fury. Luigi broke the tense silence.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?! Do you want Dad to start having us tailed? Besides, you were supposed to be back by ten so I could go out. Or at least go to bed! I had to stay up with Carmella till three, that damn bitch wouldn’t fall asleep. And yet I still wasn’t fucking awake when you got home! What time did you get in?!”

Pavi smirked. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Shut up! I swear to God, Pavi, if you don’t--”

“Why do you care what I was doing anyway?!”

“I said shut the fuck up! I’m talking!” 

“You can’t tell me to shut up!”

“Oh, can’t I?!” 

Luigi took a few steps closer, using his height as an advantage, but Pavi would not be intimidated into surrender. 

“You’re not Dad! You’re nobody!”

“You little rat!” Luigi grabbed his brother by the collar and yanked him forward. “Take it back!” 

Pavi shook his head, choking for breath. He swung out a fist but couldn’t reach, not that it mattered. Luigi had already let go.

He stumbled backwards, gasping for air just as his brother had been a moment before. One hand went to his chest as he struggled to breathe, his face twisting in pain. Pavi watched in horror, all of his anger instantly replaced by fear. 

“L-Luigi?” His accent vanished in his panic as he watched the color draining from his brother’s face. “Are y-y-you okay?”

Luigi leaned his back against the wall, fighting not to scream as each desperate breath brought on a sharp stab of pain in his chest. He wanted to say something to Pavi, reassure him that it was going to be alright, but he couldn’t seem to find the air for words. It was as if the oxygen had vanished from the room. 

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he slid down the wall, no longer able to support himself standing. 

This was too much for Pavi. Whatever he pretended to be, whatever he would become, at this moment he was a terrified child whose only thought in the world was concern for his brother. 

“Help!” Pavi ran out into the hall, looking around frantically for someone, anyone, who might know what to do. “S-S-Somebody help! P-Please! Help!”

Rotti’s study was only one floor down, and despite his fear of his father Pavi pounded on the door. 

“H-H-Help!” 

“Not now, Paviche!” Was the growled reply. 

“Father, p-please!”

“Keep it down!” The door jerked open and Rotti stood there, looking furious. “Your sister is sleeping. You don’t want to wake her, do you?” 

“B-B-But...”

“Dammit, Boy! How many times have I told you to stop that stammering?!”

Rotti slammed the door shut again.

Pavi felt his hands curling into fists as tears welled up in his eyes. Stupid, spoiled Carmella. This was all her fault. Every part of it. 

A sob escaped him and he took off running down another hall. 

A tall young woman with long black hair appeared suddenly in a doorway as he passed, glancing around for the source of the crying. A bright glow rippled across her blue-green eyes as they adjusted to focus on the frightened boy. 

“Pavi? What’s wrong?” 

“M-Mag!” He ran to her side, grabbing her hand and pulling her along down the hall. “Something’s w-wrong with my brother! You have t-t-to help! Please!” 

Without any further questions Mag followed quickly behind him. 

By the time they returned, Luigi’s vision was swimming with black patches. He could barely make out his brother’s anxious face hovering above him, and someone else, a woman he felt he recognised, though between the pain in his chest and the fog in his head he couldn’t seem to remember who she was. 

Mag bent down next to the boy, whose breath was still coming in deep, frenzied gasps. 

“Luigi? Luigi, can you hear me? I need you to keep breathing. I need you to stay awake, alright? Do you think you can do that?” The words made their way slowly to his brain, but finally Luigi understood and nodded as Mag helped him to his feet, draping one of his arms over her shoulders so that she could help support him as he walked. “Come on, we’ve got to get you to a doctor.” 

They moved forward as quickly as they could, Luigi leaning heavily on Mag, Pavi bobbing nervously along on his brother’s other side. 

Mag looked down at the younger boy.

“Pavi? Can you go and get your father, please?”

Pavi shook his head frantically. 

“I t-t-tried. He s-said to go away.”

Mag frowned. 

“But--”

“He d-didn’t even g-g-give me a-a chance to-- to explain! If I go b-back he won’t l-l-listen!

“Alright.” Mag sighed, shaking her head. They reached an elevator and she dragged Luigi inside, pressing the button for the surgeon’s floor.

The elevator ride was strangely still and silent but for Luigi’s panting breath and Pavi’s quiet sobbing. Mag watched the older boy worriedly, noticing that his lips were turning blue. She shook him a bit.

“Luigi? Luigi look at me. Stay awake. Look at me.”

The boy blinked slowly at her, but she couldn’t tell whether he was even seeing anything.

The elevator dinged and with Mag’s help Luigi made it a few steps out of the elevator before his eyes flickered shut and he lost consciousness completely. The last sounds he heard were his brother screaming his name and Mag calling desperately for help.

\---

When Luigi awoke, everything was white. He blinked, the room coming into focus. White wall, white floor and ceiling, a white bed with white sheets, on which he lay. His chest hurt, and the world felt fuzzy around the edges. He groaned, turning his head to find his brother sitting in a chair next the bed, legs pulled up against his body, cheeks tears-stained, eyes wide and red-rimmed. 

“Pavi?” He asked, surprised at how hoarse and breathy his voice was.

The younger boy jumped, blinking at his brother for a moment. 

“You’re awake.” The accent was back.

Luigi nodded.

“Yeah, I… What happened?”

“You stopped breathing.” Pavi said softly.

“What?!”

The younger boy bit his lip.

“The-- The doctor said your lungs stopped working.”

“Oh.” Luigi said blankly.

“Don’t worry.” Pavi reassured him. “They fixed it.”

Luigi rolled his eyes.

“Of course they did, you idiot. I’m still alive aren’t I?”

Pavi’s lower lip trembled.

“Th-They-- The doctors said--” Tears beaded up in his eyes and overflowed onto his cheeks, “I thought you w-w-were gonna die!”

“Don’t be stupid. I’m fine.”

Pavi was silent for a long moment.

“Yeah.” He mumbled finally, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand.

Luigi sighed. “Where’s dad?”

“I don’t know.” Pavi said quietly. “I tried to get him when-- After you-- But he just told me to go away and be quiet. He was putting Carmella to bed.”

“Of course he was.” Luigi said bitterly, his breath catching in his throat and making him cough, which brought a sharp, stabbing pain to his chest.

Pavi’s eyes widened in alarm.

“Luigi! D-Don’t worry, I’ll get the doctor!”

“I-I’m-- f-fine!” Luigi gasped, reaching out to grab his brother’s arm before he could try to leave. “I just-- n-need a-- a minute…”

He kept his tight grip on Pavi’s wrist as he struggled to find his breath, coughing and wheezing desperately for air until finally the fit died down, leaving a dull ache in his chest.

“L-Luigi?” Pavi asked in a small voice, tears in his eyes again as he watched his brother fearfully.

Luigi blinked slowly at him, feeling dizzy, a bit like time was moving in slow motion.

“Yeah.” He breathed. “Yeah, I’m… I’m fine. Doctors… kn-know what they’re doing… Don’t worry.”

“Kay.” Pavi said plaintively, drying his eyes on his sleeve.

“C’mon, Pavs. Don’t cry.”

“I-I…”

Pavi suddenly flung himself at his brother, wrapping his arms around the older boy’s neck and holding on tightly.

“Th-Thought you were g-g-gonna die!” He wailed, tears streaming down his face.

“But I didn’t…” Luigi pointed out.

“Was-- Was so s-scared--”

“Well you… you don’t have to be…” Luigi told him. “I’m fine.”

Pavi sobbed into his shoulder.

“Hey.” Luigi said sternly. “C’mon, you’re too old to cry.”

Pavi nodded, sniffling as he pulled away from his brother.

“I’m too big to cry.”

“Right, so stop.”

“Kay.”

“Hey Pavi?” Luigi asked, trying to distract his brother. “If-- If Dad didn’t bring me down here, who did?”

“Mag.” Pavi mumbled, staring at the floor.

Luigi frowned.

“That singer who works for Dad?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Oh.” Luigi said quietly. “That’s weird.”

The vague, blurry image of a woman’s concerned face floated into his awareness. She had dark hair, and eyes that emitted a strange, unnatural light. Her mouth was moving silently, saying something… His name?

Luigi shook his head, pushing the memory away.

Pavi was still staring intently at the floor.

“Luigi?” He said again.

“Yeah?”

“Love you.” Pavi mumbled to his own feet.

Luigi rolled his eyes at his brother, sighing in exasperation.

“Yeah. Love you too.”


End file.
